Kings down Lakers despite LeBron James' return
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James returned from injury on Friday after 20 games out but could not prevent his Los Angeles Lakers from slipping to a 110-106 defeat by the Sacramento Kings.
James had been sidelined since 20 March after spraining his ankle — the longest absence of his 18-year NBA career.
The 36-year-old scored 16 points and added eight rebounds and seven assists, but defeat marked the Lakers' fifth loss in their past six games.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said pregame that the 36-year-old star would not have a minutes restriction and the team would be responsible with his playing time.
With James out since March 20 due to a right high ankle sprain, the Lakers were 8-12 in his absence.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Andre Drummond totaled 17 points, and Ben McLemore added 12 points off the bench, shooting 4-for-7 from beyond the 3-point arc.
James was a bit guarded in his post-game interview. This home loss to one of the worst teams in the league would undoubtedly have left LeBron smarting.
Nevertheless, he attempted to divert the issue from the Lakers’ late-game offense – they only tallied 18 points against statistically the worst defense in NBA history — to his own ankle.
“As far as my wind, I felt pretty good. As far as my ankle, it was a little tight at times… as the games go on that will continue to improve.”
It was the Kings' first win over the Lakers at Staples Center since 2018. Even more impressive, Sacramento won the game without frontline players De’Aaron Fox (health and safety protocols) and Harrison Barnes (left abductor tightness).
Tyrese Haliburton, who led the Kings with 23 points and 10 assists, sank two free throws inside the last 2.7 seconds to seal the win after James saw a long threepoint effort bounce back off the rim.
Elsewhere, the Phoenix Suns usurped the Utah Jazz at the top of the Western Conference with a 121-100 win, while Eastern Conference leaders the Brooklyn Nets were beaten 128-109 by the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 126-104, while the Milwaukee Bucks won 108-98 at the Chicago Bulls.
There were wins too for the Washington Wizards, the Boston Celtics and the Memphis Grizzlies.